


History

by gridelinCarver



Series: Revolutionary College AU [2]
Category: 18th & 19th Century CE RPF, 18th Century CE RPF, American Revolution RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Flashbacks, Gen, Historical References, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-05-20 01:50:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5988019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gridelinCarver/pseuds/gridelinCarver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Alex, are you awake?” John whispered.</p><p>Alexander sat bolt upright in his bed, rubbing frantically at his eyes before looking around the dorm.  College dorm.  Not military camp tent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Back at Camp

_ Colonel Alexander Hamilton, one of General Washington’s aides-de-camp, turned restlessly in his cot, fidgeting with the sheets and his nightshirt.  He could not seem to make himself sleep, so instead he allowed his eyes to roam his surroundings.  Hamilton slept in a tent with a few other aides, but he couldn’t stop his gaze from drifting to a one John Laurens, who slept soundly in a nearby cot.  Laurens and Hamilton’s friendship had been rapidly progressing, so much that Hamilton had to wonder…  but no, surely, he could not dare to hope.  He found himself staring at his sleeping form, admiring his fair hair and curling lashes—which now began to flutter as Laurens stirred.  Hamilton quickly closed his eyes and turned back around, pulling the sheets up higher as he feigned sleep.  He could hear Laurens rustling the sheets as— _

  
“Alex, are you awake?” John whispered.

 

Alexander sat bolt upright in his bed, rubbing frantically at his eyes before looking around the dorm.  College dorm.  Not military camp tent.  A digital clock blinked at him from the nightstand, reading 3:24am.  Alex blinked again.  He didn’t know what he had seen, only that this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.  The sickness that had taken his mother, the hurricane.  Events that had—only for a moment—taken him somewhere else.  The event still  _ happened _ but it was—different, somehow.  He could never pinpoint exactly what was happening because he never remembered.

 

“Well, clearly,” he remarked dryly, propping himself up on his elbow.  John looked at Alex with concern.  “You okay dude?”

 

“Huh?  Yeah I’m fine,” Alex replied distractedly.  “I just had a weird—dream.  That’s all.”  He turned his head to face John and was immediately hit with the realization that John had been in his—lapse in reality?  He didn’t know what to call it, but he was sure John had been involved.  John gave him a quizzical look.

 

“You wanna talk about it?  You seem kinda… off,” he observed, open concern in his voice.

 

“No, no, it’s fine.  I hardly remember it anyway,” Alex reassured him.  When he was met with more concern from John, he made an attempt to roll his eyes and chuckle lightheartedly.  “Really, it’s okay.  It’s nothing, John.”

 

“Well, if you’re sure, but…” he trailed off and dropped his eyes to the floor for a few moments, then looked back up at Alex.  “If you ever need to talk or anything, you know I’m here for you, right?”  Why did Alex feel like John knew something?

 

“Of course, yeah.  Thanks.”  Alex laid down in bed, pointedly looking at the ceiling.

  
“Anytime.”  He heard John’s sheets rustling and the bed frame creaking as he lay back down as well, but he could still feel John’s eyes on him.  Alex turned over so his back was to John, pulling his sheets tighter around as if they could shield him from that clear blue gaze.  He heard more shifting behind him, indicating John had turned enough that he wasn’t looking at Alex anymore.  Then Alex made himself close his eyes and clear his mind until he fell back asleep.


	2. Caught in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Realization dawned.
> 
>  
> 
> “You've… seen it too?” Alex asked slowly, as if he were afraid he’d scare John away. John nodded grimly. “Oh. I… Oh.”

John had been thinking about Alex’s strange nighttime outburst for the next few days.  Was Alex experiencing the same sort of déjà vu that John was?  It certainly seemed so.  John had vaguely gathered from their few weeks of tentative but fond friendship that Alex had gone through many hardships during his life, and that neither of his parents were in the picture at all.  He had gotten a full ride to Columbia, where they went to school, all by himself—no counseling at all.  He had never before totally evaded any of John’s serious questions, only replied with vague, but true, answers.  This time he had completely brushed it off, claiming nothing had happened when clearly something had.

 

Truthfully, John had been having the lapses as well.  He had only had one or two before meeting Alex, but now that he  _ had _ met him, they seemed to be happening more frequently.  One had occurred during one of his father’s terrifying fits of rage, another with Martha Manning, a girl he had been with to try and convince himself he wasn’t gay.  Both times he had been confused afterwards, and people who had witnessed it had told him that it was as if he was looking but not  _ seeing. _

 

That’s what Alex had looked like.  His eyes were wide open and staring right at John, but he wasn’t really seeing him.  His first thought was that maybe Alex was just sleeping with his eyes open, for he knew people could do that (once he saw a kid on a school field trip doing just that in the bunk across from him), but Alex had never done that before in their weeks as roommates.  Hence why he had asked if Alex was awake, which seemed to jolt him out of whatever his vision was.  They  _ had _ to be experiencing the same thing; it could not be a coincidence.  The question was how to casually slip weird historical visions into normal conversation.

 

Then, one day a few days later, Alex walked into their dorm with all his clothes soaked through, hair plastered to his face.

 

“My fucking umbrella decided that today would be a good day to just  _ not open _ ,” Alex seethed, one fist clenched around said uncooperative umbrella.  John hardly heard the words before he was somewhere else.

 

_ General Washington had just read the letter detailing Hamilton’s death when the man himself walked into the room, soaked to the core, sure, but very much alive.  As it turns out, Henry Lee had greatly underestimated Alexander’s swimming abilities, for he had indeed survived the white waters of the Schuylkill. _

 

_ Laurens heard the room go silent, his own breath catching in his throat, all eyes on the now confused man in the doorway. _

 

_ “What?  Did I walk in at an inconvenient time?” Hamilton started.  Washington wordlessly handed him the letter in his hand.  His eyes widened.  “Ah, well I assure you, as you can see, I am quite alright.  Sorry about the misunderstanding.  I got here as soon as I could.” _

 

_ Hamilton’s eyes found Laurens’ from across the room, and Laurens couldn’t breathe again.  He was here, he was real, he was  _ alive _ , gloriously alive.  The moments where he thought he would never again see the man who had become his closest friend were the some of the worst in his life, and he never wanted to feel that again.  Hamilton smiled warmly at Laurens, just Laurens, and started towards him— _

 

“John?  Fuck.  John!” Alex was yelling, shaking his shoulders.  “Can you hear me?  Say something, please!   _John Laurens!_ ”

 

“Shit,” John hissed, stepping back to sit down on his bed and rubbing his face.  “Shit.  This is fucked up.”

 

Alex tilted his head curiously, one eyebrow arching.  John just looked at him helplessly, as if this one bit of eye contact could convey all the weird, inexplicable visions he had seen, his suspicions that Alex saw them too.

 

Realization dawned.

 

“You've… seen it too?” Alex asked slowly, as if he were afraid he’d scare John away.  John nodded grimly.  “Oh.  I… Oh.”  He sat down on the bed across from John and studied him carefully.  “We’ll figure this out.  Maybe.”

 

John couldn’t help but let out a small breathy laugh at that, then turned around on his bed to reach for a book.

  
“Later, okay?” he told him solemnly, not looking at him.  “I can’t…  Just—later.”  Alex nodded in understanding, pulling out his laptop and beginning to tap away on the keys.  They spent the rest of their day in comfortable silence, knowing they had all the time they needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weird historical lapses, amiright? anyway, if you didn't know, historically, there was a time when Hamilton walked in just after Washington had read a letter describing his death. (read the letter and the account of Hamilton walking in [here](https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-01-02-0282#ARHN-01-01-02-0282-fn-0001-ptr))  
> I do not, in fact, know if Hamilton walked in soaking wet from the Schuylkill, but I used it here to trigger the lapse, as otherwise it wouldn't have worked
> 
> but I hope you guys liked it!!! I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been so busy. I will try to update more, and probably will once school ends. tell me your comments and feedback, maybe even suggestions!! any and all reviews make my day (as do kudos, but they're more of a number than a personal thing)  
> anyway, thank you so much for reading!
> 
> ~societallyDysfunctional

**Author's Note:**

> hello again! here's the second installment of the AU series. it is rather short but I should be writing a second part in John's POV. yes, this one is significantly less fluffy and humorous. and these aren't FLASHBACKS, per se, but more of momentary images from an alternate timeline, namely ours, where they lived in the 18th century. I can explain more if anyone is curious. but otherwise, I hoped you like this aspect of our AU!
> 
> ~societallyDysfunctional  
> P.S. comments with feedback and suggestions are welcomed! reading them often makes our day.


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